For some students the new year means a simple trip to the bookstore to buy new notebooks, pencils and a brand new toothbrush. For others, 2006 screams New Year’s resolutions, such as working off your not-so-lovely love handles, or forming six-pack abs for the spring break Acapulco beaches. If you find yourself in the latter category, this semester may mean laying off the booze, a strict workout regime and dieting.
“Well, my New Year’s resolution was to grow a butt, but that’s been my resolution for 19 years and it hasn’t yet happened,” said Lianna Gomori, a sophomore English major. “So this year, the Stairmaster and I have become best friends.”
For others, going to the gym is more than a New Year’s resolution; it’s a way of life.
“I’ve been working out for years; the new year doesn’t change anything for me,” said Jill Mark, a sophomore political science major. “But FitSpace has been so crowded lately because of everyone that decided 2006 means weight loss, and it’s really annoying for the regulars who can’t get on a treadmill.”
One FitSpace employee agreed that the New Year’s rush yields an influx of temporarily ambitious gym-goers. She said the gym is “ridiculously busy” right now because of New Year’s resolutions and will probably get crazy again around spring break, but in between those time periods, the traffic slows down.
An academic annual FitSpace membership is $120 for undergraduate students. This price is competitive with popular off-campus gyms such as Court Jester, whose membership fee is $130 for four months, and Bally’s Total Fitness which charges $140 for the same duration of time. But some students say the extra cost might be worth it for an off-campus gym.
“I live off campus and go to Court Jester, but I went to FitSpace when I lived on campus,” said Erica Jaffe, a senior politics, philosophy and law major. “Court Jester has a lot more cardio equipment, you don’t need to sign up for machines, it’s a bigger facility with TVs for each treadmill/elliptical machine, there’s a small indoor track, pool and tanning facility. Overall, Court Jester offers more options and a larger weight room than FitSpace.”
And FitSpace’s low price may not make up for its limited facilities. The relatively small gym, with a mere seven treadmills, six elliptical cross-trainers and four stair-climbers, struggles to accommodate the hundreds of Binghamton University students who frequent FitSpace daily, especially during the high-traffic winter months.
For students living on campus without a car, FitSpace may be their best bet, or rather their only choice.
“The crowds are annoying, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Mark said. “It certainly doesn’t stop me from going to the gym, but when the weather is nicer, I try to run outside around campus instead.”
Gomori agreed.
“Regardless of the crowds, I’m keeping my New Year’s resolution,” she said. “I’ll fight for that Stairmaster if I have to.”